


Shelterbent

by anonymousdeity12



Series: Apocalypestuck [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human/Troll Society, Apocalypsestuck, Limeblooded Vantases, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-16
Updated: 2014-03-16
Packaged: 2018-01-15 21:17:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1319509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonymousdeity12/pseuds/anonymousdeity12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A war between nations is slowly tearing the world apart. As the world becomes more and more desolate, people and trolls alike need to find shelter, food and water in order to survive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shelterbent

Kankri sits in his respite block. The power had just come back on from another black out. He turns on his computer and waits for it to load. He logs on and immediately opens his internet browser. It takes a couple minutes to load, but that was mostly because the internet had just come back on with the power. He waits patiently for it to load and then looks up the recent news on the war. It takes longer to load up, but there's a long page of news, but that was because there was a lot of news to report about.

The leaders of each nation were not backing down, but none of them were making any advances ahead of the others. They were resorting to all sorts of warfare: chemical, nuclear, biological. Anything to try to defeat the other nations. The warfare was destroying most everything and changing everything it didn't. There were pictures of the carnage. Whole areas turned to green glass and dust. Civilians with serious chemical burns. Hospitals over flowing with patients waiting to be dealt with, coughing up blood and looking extremely tired. Animals and plants that have been changed beyond comprehension. 

The news Kankri debriefed himself on, it made his stomach churn. Not just because he feels sympathy for those who were suffering, but because he knows how soon that he could be living through such adversity. He frowns deeply and closes the browser and then the ringing that skype makes when someone's calling comes from his speakers.  He reads who it is. Porrim. He answers. 

"Hello+, Kanny. I see yo+u're finally with po+wer again." 

"Yes. 96vi9usly. 9therwise I w9uldn't 6e talking t9 y9u, w9uld I?"

Porrim sighs. "Well, ho+w are yo+u do+ing? No+thing bad has happened near yo+u, has it?"

"I 6elieve y9u w9uld kn9w quite s99n if there was s9mething that happened. Y9u're 9nly a69ut an h9ur by car away fr9m here." 

"Yes, but an ho+ur is still pretty far." 

"It's still cl9se en9ugh that if there were s9mething t9 happen y9u'd kn9w right away, even if the p9wer was 9ut, and the cell t9wers d9wn."

"I can't still ask? I think yo+u need to+ calm do+wn. I care abo+ut yo+u and I just wanted to+ ask, do+n't get snippy just because it sho+uld be o+bvio+us. I swear, fo+r so+meone who+ go+es o+n and o+n abo+ut so+cial justice, yo+u do+n't really get being so+cial, do+ yo+u?"

"I w9uld appreciate it if y9u didn't say that. I d9 get s9cial justice, just n9t s9cial interacti9n as well. I can s9cialize, 6ut it's n9t that imp9rtant. We are still making c9nversati9n, just n9t in the sense that y9u wanted. It's kind 9f y9ur fault t99." Kankri lets out a soft sigh. "H9w are y9u d9ing? Are y9u getting en9ugh supplies where y9u are? Their still giving 9ut rati9ns here, 6ut it's 96vi9us that we are starting t9 run l9w, the rati9ns are getting smaller and smaller." 

"That's just ho+w war is, reso+urces start running lo+w. And yes, I'm getting eno+ugh, just abo+ut as much as yo+u are getting, I'll assume. At least we are still getting ratio+ns. I'm no+t sure ho+w winter's go+ing to+ pan o+ut tho+ugh." 

"Here, they're setting up a l9t 9f green h9uses s9 they can gr9w vegeta6les, 6ut I keep telling them they need t9 get generat9rs f9r the green h9uses s9 that when the p9wer g9es 9ut, they can still keep the green h9uses warm en9ugh f9r their gr9wing. They aren't particularly keen 9n that. It's a little frustrating since if there is a p9wer 9utage l9ng en9ugh, it will kill the plants." 

"Do+ they no+t have the reso+urces to pro+vide fo+r the generato+rs?"

"Yes, many 9f the city leaders have generat9rs 9f their 9wn, and many residents t99. N9 9ne wants t9 give them up f9r their 9wn c9mf9rt. I said that p9wer f9r themselves is n9t as imp9rtant as f99d. They are g9ing t9 decide whether if they sh9uld use generat9rs 9n the green h9uses t9m9rr9w, I think."

"So+unds like yo+u're getting quite invo+lved." 

Kankri nods. "Yes. Th9ugh, my ideas d9n't seem t9 appeal t9 the maj9rity."

"I do+n't see why no+t. A few o+f yo+ur ideas are actually go+o+d ideas." 

"Yes, a few 9f them are." He says sarcastically. 

"Well, maybe they wo+uld be better if yo+u presented better."

"And what d9 y9u mean 6y that? I present them extremely well."

"No+. Yo+u tend to+ o+ver explain things so+ that everyo+ne just wants to+ disagree with yo+u."

"I d9 n9t. I present it s9 that n9 detail is left 9ut s9 that there's n9 c9nfusi9n."

"Yo+u make peo+ple co+nfused by making sure no+ detail is left o+ut."

"I d9n't kn9w what y9u're talking a69ut, leaving 9ut details can lead t9 am6iguity."

"So+ can  adding the unnecessary details." 

"They are n9t unnecessary....What's that n9ise? It s9unds like it's c9ming fr9m y9ur end."

Porrim frowns a little bit and looks around her room. "I think it's co+ming fro+m o+utside."

"Are y9u g9ing t9 see what it is?"

"I might." 

"Well...Y9u sh9uld 6e careful."

"I will be, Kanny. I'll be fine. It'll just be a minute."

"I'll 6e waiting f9r y9ur return."

* * *

 

It's been an hour since Porrim left to go see what the noise was, about fifty minutes since her call dropped and she went offline. Kankri is worried to the point of frowning deeply, his head spinning with ideas of what happened. He hopes it's just another black out, but his gut says different. His gut says it's the war, that soldiers had come and raided Porrim's home, her city and that they would soon be in Kankri's own city.

Kankri finally makes the decision to pack his laptop, clothes, a gallon jug of water, some canned food, a hunting knife, his charger for his laptop, the charger for his phone, and his phone. He sets off on foot (his car having ran out of gas long before). He was going to flee the city before it  was ransacked. He knew where Porrim lived, or did. He decided to head for her city, try to find her.

Kankri walks out in the street, no one had gas, so no one used their cars. The roads were starting to become cracked, but it's not like that could really be helped, their resources were being used for other things. He walks down the road for a few blocks before he stops, noticing an unsettling silence. Something of an eerie chill makes him shudder. He frowns slightly and continues on his way.

Kankri feels more than ever that he just needs to get out of the city. His pace is quick, as quick as he can manage. It takes him a couple hours to get out of the city. He starts down a highway that he knows goes to Porrim's city. In the distance, there's a cloud of smoke forming a disc in the sky above an area. Kankri frowns more, knowing that must be from Porrim's city.

His want to find Porrim grows into a need.

Kankri walks for about another couple hours, his legs becoming weak, aching and needing rest. He finally gives into sitting down. He leans against the median of the highway. He opens a can of food with his knife, bending the lid for a spoon and eat the contents. He sets the can off to the side and washes the food down with a swig of water. He stays seated for a while, feeling tired from eating, but more so fatigue. He closes his eyes and starts drifting off into sleep.

 

* * *

 

Kankri awakes sometime later to a voice. It's loud, it's angry, and it's commanding him to wake up. He groans, grogginess sticking to him lick the cold sweat on his skin. He slowly opens his eyes, blinking a few times, not expecting the flashlight being shined in his eyes.  He frowns a bit.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU? GET UP, YOU SACK OF USELESS MEAT. I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR COMFORT, COME ON." The voice says.

Kankri groans and sits up. He covers his eyes. "If y9u didn't have time f9r my c9mf9rt, why wake me up?" he says groggily.

"I WOKE YOU UP BECAUSE WE NEED TO MOVE, TO SURVIVE. AND I'M NOT A FAN OF BEING ALONE. YOU KNOW HOW MUCH MORE DIFFICULT IT IS TO SURVIVE ALONE?? IT WOULD BE A LOT EASIER FOR BOTH OF US TO GET THE FUCK UP AND GO. WHERE ARE YOU EVEN HEADED?"

"I was headed s9uth, 6ut I g9t tired and needed rest."

"WHY ARE YOU HEADED THAT WAY?? IT'S ALL DESOLATED LAND! THERE'S NOTHING!"

"Did y9u c9me fr9m that way then? Did y9u see a jade-6l99d?" 

"WHO? I KNOW OF A JADE-BLOOD, KANAYA, BUT I DIDN'T THINK SHE KNOWS YOU. SHE WENT TO GO GET SOMETHING TO BUILD A FIRE."

Kankri shakes his head. "N9, n9t Kanaya. Her name is P9rrim Maryam. She has a 6unch 9f tatt99s."

The other person is quiet for a minute, his deep scowl becoming deeper somehow. "I'M SORRY. KANAYA KNOWS WHO THAT WAS. WE FOUND HER UNDER SOME RUBLE. SHE HAD A LOT OF BROKEN BONES, SHE...SHE COULDN'T BREATHE, SHE HAD SO MANY BROKEN RIBS. SHE DIED A FEW MINUTES AFTER WE FOUND HER. SHE KEPT ON GOING ON ABOUT NEEDING KANKRI TO KNOW THAT SHE WASN'T GOING TO BE BACK."

Kankri goes wide-eyed. He feels nauseous. He puts his hand to his mouth and shakes his head. "That can't 6e true...she said a minute, she said she'd 6e 6ack," he says shakily.

"OH!...OH...I'M SORRY. I DIDN'T KNOW YOU'RE KANKRI. I'M REALLY SORRY THAT YOU'RE FRIEND'S DEAD. I WISH THERE WAS SOMETHING I COULD OF DONE."

Kankri is silent for a while. He swallows down spit, trying to keep from vomiting. He finally takes a drink from the gallon of water and takes deep breaths. "Y-y9u d9n't l99k like a d9ct9r...I d9n't think y9u c9uld 9f..."

The stranger's scowl softens and he sits down. He pat's Kankri's back in a soothing way.

Kankri scoots away. "Ple-please d9n't t9-t9uch me...I d9n't like it."

"SORRY, I WAS JUST TRYING TO BE COMFORTING."

"I realize, it's appreciated, just n9t wanted."

"ALL RIGHT."

"...Wh9 are y9u?" 

"OH, RIGHT. MY NAME'S KARKAT. UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES, WE MIGHT OF MET ON GOOD TERMS AND IT WOULD OF BEEN NICE MEETING YOU."

"I'm sure we w9uld 9f, and I understand we c9uld have met under 6etter terms...Thanks f9r sh9wing me sympathy. And for telling me that my friend is dead. I w9uld 9f g9ne t9 l99k f9r her if I didn't kn9w. All 9f it w9uld 9f 6een a waste..." He sighs and looks down.

There's the sound footstep drawing near, Kankri and Karkat look up.

**Author's Note:**

> I will add pictures to this sometime.


End file.
